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	Four Corners Reveals Story of Abuse at St Ann's Special School By Bronwyn Herbert ABC - PM September 26, 2011 http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2011/s3326103.htm BRENDAN TREMBATH: Around the courts people with intellectual disabilities are often seen as unreliable witnesses because they can be difficult to cross examine. A sex abuse case in South Australia was dropped in July and that highlighted the dilemma. Now there's another reason to think about people with intellectual disabilities and the law. Four Corners reveals the full story of a group of children from St Ann's Special School in Adelaide who were abused by their bus driver more than 20 years ago. Bronwyn Herbert reports. BRONWYN HERBERT: A series of sexual abuse cases involving intellectually disabled children in South Australia have recently emerged through the court system, though the cases haven't proceeded on the grounds that disabled witnesses are unreliable. One of the victim's mothers, who can't be named for legal reasons, tells her son's story. MOTHER: The teacher, as she usually does, go over to see the children and she poked him in the tummy and he burst into tears and he said to his teacher "you hurt me like (beep)." The teacher asked him "how did (beep) hurt you?" And he then signed his and pointing to his bottom and the signing for bus and pointed to his mouth and "ouch". Because my son's a visual guy, he then proceeded to pull down his pants. BRONWYN HERBERT: The Catholic Church and the South Australian Police are still under fire for their failures over the past 20 years in a shockingly similar case. It also involves a bus driver and intellectually disabled children. Helen Gitsham and her husband Brian say they feel a tremendous empathy with the current cases before the courts. Their son David was abused while at an Adelaide special school, St Ann's, in the late 1980s. BRIAN GITSHAM: I thought, here we go again. HELEN GITSHAM: Yes, it's just happening again. BRONWYN HERBERT: Other parents from St Ann's have shared their stories with Four Corners. PARENT: When the bus would arrive, Peter would run away. So we're all scampering over the oval trying to find him and we didn't have any idea what was going on, but he would run away. And it would be a major task to find him and get him on the bus. BRONWYN HERBERT: Despite photos and a witness the police investigation went nowhere. One boy who was 10 at the time of the alleged abuse provided a statement to the police naming Perkins and three other men. ABUSE VICTIM: I remember him taking me to his place and do rude things to me, I remember that. And I remember do rude things in woodwork shed, I remember that. And I remember doing things on bus too. BRONWYN HERBERT: The perpetrator, Brian Perkins, moved to Queensland where he lived in caravan parks. South Australian assistant commissioner Grant Stevens says a decision was made by the then police commissioner that it wasn't worth bringing Brian Perkins back to South Australia to face charges. GRANT STEVENS: I understand that there was a consideration of the fact that the children involved as victims were mentally disabled and whilst that was a decision that was made at that point in time, it certainly not one that would be made now. BRONWYN HERBERT: In 2002, frustrated by the church's inaction, the parents took their story to the media. The effect was immediate. Within hours Perkins was extradited from Queensland at the request of the Archbishop. Perkins pleaded guilty to five lesser indictable charges and was sentenced to six years' jail. He died in detention after an assault in 2009. Archbishop Wilson made a formal apology in 2004 and church lawyers and a QC conducted an inquiry. The report was marked confidential. Four Corners now reveals two documents that cast a different light on the church's media management. Soon after the initial police raid back in 1991, the church's lawyers advised the Catholic Education Office, when drafting a dismissal letter to the volunteer bus driver Brian Perkins, not to mention the police charges in writing so as protect the then Archbishop Leonard Faulkner. EXCERPT FROM LAWYERS' ADVICE DOCUMENT: In the event that the letter were for some reason to fall into media hands at some future time, it allows the Archbishop to deal with the matter without being compromised by any previous correspondence. The letter is also neutral in the sense that it does not purport to rely on any allegations for which he has been charged. BRONWYN HERBERT: Archbishop Wilson says he doesn't believe the letter was an attempt for the church and the Archbishop to distance themselves from these events. PHILIP WILSON: I don't think that there was any attempt to cover it up. I think that people were offering legal advice about these matters in the context in which they did that is a context that no longer applies now. BRONWYN HERBERT: The dismissal letter to Brian Perkins not only avoids any mention of police charges, it goes on to thank him. EXCERPT FROM DISMISSAL LETTER: Your contribution as a volunteer bus driver for disabled students has been appreciated. However I advise that your volunteer services will no longer be required, nor will you be offered casual work in the future. BRONWYN HERBERT: In 2003 more than 30 St Ann's families, including the Gitshams, received letters from Archbishop Wilson offering gifts of between $50 and $100,000. Their son David was diagnosed with stomach cancer several years ago and died at the age of 36. The Githsams say they were told by the church, the police and welfare groups that systems are in place now to stop this situation being repeated. But like many parents are horrified but the stories still emerging. Next month an Adelaide court will hear another case of a bus driver accused of sexually assaulting intellectually disabled children. BRENDAN TREMBATH: Bronwyn Herbert reporting. And you can see the full story tonight on Four Corners on ABC1.
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